BLACKSBURG (WSLS 10) - Graduation day will be here soon for many across our area. In Thursday's 'Education Matters', we're introduced to a soon-to-be Virginia Tech graduate who one of his mentors says is brilliant, calling him the "Doogie Howser" of our generation.
Jade Edwards grew up living the surfer lifestyle in Virginia Beach.
Recommended Videos
"Nobody in my family went to college. I grew up at the beach and I pretty much went to the beach all the time and hung out with my friends. A lot of my friends didn't go to college either. I wasn't necessarily planning on going to college from high school," said Edwards.
That changed, thanks to a girl he was dating.
"To impress her dad I applied to Virginia Tech because he was a Hokie," he said.
But what many don't know about the 20-year-old is what it's taken him to get there.
"I'm glad I made it this far. The odds weren't necessarily on my side with being a first-generation student, my mom, she left when I was younger ," Edwards said.
Edwards has legal custody of his 2-year-old sister Laci. Her grandparents take care of her right now, but one day, it will be up to Edwards.
"I think you could easily be negative and pessimistic about yourself and your circumstances to not really rise above it and do something remarkable. I think that's truly what he's done. And he's done in a very humble way," said Stewart Mease, VT Student Advancement and Career Services.
Mease works with the college senior as he helps plan job fairs through the Business Horizons Student Team.
"Jade's a great guy.Very unassuming, very humble. Extremely diligent and hard-working," Mease said.
"I've seen a lot more people do a lot more, so I have more things to accomplish," Edwards said.
Edwards won't be in Blacksburg for graduation. Instead, he'll be with his family in Virginia Beach. His plan is to come back to campus, finish up classes for another year where he'll graduate again with his masters.